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10 hour trial for EA Sports UFC 3 now available through EA Access
EA Sports UFC 3 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Access on Xbox One. Subscribers will get 10 hours of playtime with the trial. The timer is ticking down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being played, menus are being navigated through, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application completely when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used beyond its release. Saves are stored on the hard drive so progress in any of the modes and online records and stats carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.
EA Access launched July 2014 and is available on Xbox One along with now Origin Access on PC. Sony has declined to offer the service through PlayStation 4 saying it doesn’t offer enough value – despite being arguably the best value in all of gaming. EA recently hinted the service may be expanding to the PS4 in 2018 however. EA Access includes the “Vault” which offers unlimited play with nearly every game from the company’s catalog this generation, 10% off all digital purchases, and the ability to play games up to five days before they release with a limited timed trial. EA Access is $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month.
EA Sports UFC 3 is putting emphasis on rivalries and fight promotions in its career mode. The full fighter roster and ratings are out to view. Considerable improvements have already been made for the game’s release thanks to the early beta. UFC 3 is out January 30 for those who buy the $80 special edition and February 2 for the standard edition.
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Game Pass takes industry’s first step towards a true subscription-based future by including brand new titles
Microsoft made a huge announcement today that is reflective of where the gaming industry is headed for the future. The Xbox Game Pass subscription service will soon also feature all Microsoft Studios games on their release dates.
Members of Game Pass will be able to play the new games as though they actually own them. Upcoming Xbox One titles like Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3, State of Decay 2, Forza Horizon 4, and entries in the Halo and Gears of War franchises will be among the games included on their respective first days of release where they’ll join the over 100 older games already available.
Interestingly it doesn’t appear there will be a price increase that coincides with new releases becoming part of the package. A six month subscription is noted as being $60. The service has been $10 a month since it launched last May.
Electronic Arts has already talked about their desire to move to a subscription-based approach that would see games have fewer traditional releases but be more actively updated with new content and improvements. That model is essentially what is found on mobile right now.
EA Access has proven to be a big success and that only made it seem more inevitable that one day new EA titles would make it to the service and likely with an accompanying price increase. This move by Microsoft opens the door for EA to advance towards the same sooner rather than later, and it also cements the XB1 as the console to have right now for those looking for a big library of relevant games to play for a low monthly price. EA did hint that their service could be coming to the PlayStation 4 this year however and that will be the next step in the process of reaching the point where they can begin to offer new games as well.
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Complete details on EA Sports UFC 3 improvements out of the beta
Having already showcased some of the considerable improvements made to EA Sports UFC 3 following its beta that began in late November, now the publisher has released a full-on list of the changes that have been made based on observations and feedback. As would be anticipated the final release version of the game will be considerably improved from the late-development build due in large part to the beta. Read more
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UFC 3 Roster and Ratings: Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight, Women’s Divisions
With just two days until EA Sports UFC 3 goes out through EA Access on Xbox One the publisher has completed the reveal of the full fighter roster and their respective ratings. First up were the flyweights and bantamweights and then the featherweights, lightweights, welterweights and middleweights. Now on to the light heavyweights, heavyweights, and women’s strawweight and bantamweight classes.
UFC 3 is changing up the ratings with four overarching categories: Striking, Grappling, Stamina and Health. Previously fighters were ranked on Ground, Stand-up, and Clinch. As was the case with the first two games the ratings are exceedingly top heavy. Presumably separation comes from sub-attributes as the lowest number given to a fighter in any category is 82. Read more
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The Line Drive for January 21
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The EA Access trial for EA Sports UFC 3 is expected to begin Wed evening.
♦The official reveal for Team of the Year in FUT has been made for FIFA 18.
♦Details on the latest patch to have gone out for NBA Live 18.
♦Kenny Smith posted a mo-cap video of the TNT crew recording for NBA 2K19.
♦New developer diary features a look at some gameplay for Tennis World Tour.
♦Based on the IGN review it sounds like AO Tennis was rushed out before ready.
♦RBI Baseball 18 will exist for some reason and MLB revealed the “cover” athlete.
♦The 4K/HDR update went out last week on Xbox One for Forza Horizon 3.
♦New website has been launched covering everything eSports for Rocket League.
♦Details on the latest patch and DLC to have gone out for Forza Motorsport 7.
♦Latest update on the work being done to improve Sociable Soccer.
♦The new menu music for Rocket League was revealed following a fan vote.
♦Paul George partnered with PlayStation for a new colorway of his PG-2 shoe.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Jigsaw and Geostorm. -
Press Row Podcast: The 2017 PCAs
It’s the eight annual PCAs! Celebrating the year in sports gaming, the Pastapadre Community Awards recognize all the achievements from the genre over 12 different categories – as voted on by the community of consumers that actually plays them. The awards are handed out in this episode of the Press Row Podcast, with in-depth discussion on all the nominees and what the voting patterns say about the games and the direction of the genre.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can also now be found on the recently launched Google Play Music for podcasts. Subscribe and review to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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$20 GOAT Super Bowl Edition of Madden NFL 18 includes bonus Ultimate Team content
This marks the fourth consecutive year that EA Sports has released a Super Bowl Edition of Madden NFL on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It’s a smart move on their part as a simple limited-time price drop is not nearly as marketable as a “special” edition that packs in bonus Ultimate Team content that costs them nothing.
For PS Plus and XBL Gold members the Super Bowl Edition of Madden NFL 18 can be purchased for $19.80 with availability through the end of the month. That’s an all-time low price for Madden 18 and included are a choice from five Elite GOAT players (Tom Brady, Jerry Rice, Ray Lewis, Franco Harris, Deion Sanders), seven Squad Packs, 2500 Contracts, and Fantasy Uniform Pack.
Madden NFL 18 fared well in the 2017 awards voting, tying for Sports Game of the Year from the Press Row Podcast and finishing as the runner-up in the 8th Annual PCAs where it also won for Best Story Mode, Best Online Play, and Best Post-Release Support.
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Mutant Football League available now on Xbox One and PlayStation 4
It was a long wait of 25 years since the original Mutant League Football released to get a sequel or in this case a “spiritual successor” but that day has finally come. Mutant Football League has now reached consoles after first coming out in late 2017 just on PC.
The game is being sold for $20 (XB1 – PS4) which is $5 cheaper than it was first priced at for PC. Those who contributed to the Kickstarter at a tier that included a copy of the game should be receiving a digital download code today.
Improvements to Mutant Football League are still being worked towards and they include free new features such as a Dynasty Mode and additional teams and species. Read more
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